BELLA was only about five-weeks-old when Matthew Mitchell found her abandoned on the side of the road.

The staffy-cross puppy was hungry, alone and suffering from various health conditions.

"I was driving home on Boxing Day from Stanthorpe visiting some friends, stopped in at a rest stop at the side of the road and I saw the little puppy in the bushes and that is how I met Bella," Mr Mitchell said.

"So I brought her back to the PETstock store (where he works) and de-wormed her and fleaed her and she had puppy mange as well so she was in a pretty bad way. I didn't think she was going to make it for a while."